When it comes stopping in close shots, a lacrosse goalie can seem pretty naked. But it doesn’t have to be the case. In today’s post, Coach Edwards gives four tips on how to stop in close shots and to improve for future shots.

How To Stop Those In Close Shots

[00:00:04] Hey guys! Coach Edwards here from LacrosseGoalieTips.com and LacrosseGoalieUniversity.com. Welcome to another video. Listen do me a favor when you watch my videos. Leave me a comment below or Send me an email or like it on Facebook or send me a message. You know that’s really the juice that keeps us all going. By all means share it with a goalie or a coach or a parent who needs to hear it. I would sure would appreciate it.

Felix Doesn’t Know Where The Shots Are Going

[00:00:15] Listen this week. Great question from Felix. Felix is in Baldwin Maryland and Felix asks, “I’ve switched to playing lacrosse goalie now on account that our old goalie quit. I can save shots from a distance quite easily but when I have someone running straight at me and they shoot it within five feet, I freeze up because I don’t have a clue where they’re going to go. If you can give me any help I sure would appreciate it. .

My Answer To This Common Problem For Lacrosse Goalies

[00:00:18] Listen, Felix this is not an uncommon question. Stopping shots from in close for lacrosse goalies is really hard, and it’s harder than most every other sport because of the types of sticks that we use in lacrosse. The ability to fake and all those good things. So I’ve got a couple of tips for you to just kind of make the most of it. .

Tip #1: Don’t Get Frustrated

[00:00:18] So tip number one is, know this: There’s nine other players on the field that are supposed to stop that guy before they even get to you. So stopping shots within five feet, all lacrosse goalie, while they are rare, they shouldn’t be common.

[00:01:29] And so a lot of young goalies, when I get e-mails like this from a lot of young or new goalies or goalie’s in new lacrosse programs, you know, they see a lot of these one on one, like basically one-on-the-goalie, situations. More often than most. All right. So number one don’t get discouraged. Realize that you should have defense on your team that shouldn’t be giving up these types of plays. All right. And stay positive, OK, because kind of: tip number 1A is that your responsibility as a lacrosse goalie is to have the the, assumption, the attitude, that you can stop every shot. You may not be able to do it now but you will be able to do it as you get more experience. OK.

[00:02:13] If you watch my three keys to making any save video you’ll see a little bit more of the philosophy I have in this but so it’s super important. OK. So tip #1 just realize you’re not the only player on the field. If you get stuck with a One On 0, that’s rare and while they’re really hard to stop you’ve got to have the attitude that you will be able to stop them at some point.

Tip #2: Most Shooters Are Taught To Fake High And Shoot Low

[00:02:34] Tip number two most shooters are taught to fake high on a lacrosse goalie and then shoot low. The reason they’re taught that is because they’re trying to get the lacrosse goalie to basically get their energy and their momentum up, to basically overcommit to a high shot. The hands go up. They might even jump. And while that goalie is basically unweighted, then it’s an easy fake down below the goalie. So know that a lot of shooters are taught to fake high and then shoot low. So what should you do then don’t commit to the first fake. I do a string drill with all my goalies where I show them, you hey, when a player is in close, the ball can only go like this high above you and so I take a string and I take that string from the crossbar all the way out to the offensive player stick and show them this is how far you’re gonna need to move to be able to stop that ball and no higher. Because what happens to a lot of goalies when they get in this situation, they get totally faked out of their shorts, and they basically, they got all these big massive movements, where they just commit and then they’re totally out of position. So know that the shooter is going to probably fake the first shot and you’ve just got to respect it but not overcommit because odds are they’re going to basically fake high and then shoot low. So be ready to respect that shot and then explode down in front of the ball.

Tips #3: When Should a Lacrosse Goalie Run Out And Hit Someone?

[00:04:08] OK. You know another thing to consider is one on 0 shots is sometimes the situation comes comes up, should you run out and attack the offensive player? (I don’t mean attack) but get out there and maybe hit him, check him. There. And there’s a couple rules to this. So this is tip three. Like when should you come out out of the cage. So you know 3At is that. If the ball is coming like it’s a pass or maybe it’s a ground ball that was a missed pass and now it’s basically, rolling to an attack man and you can get to that player before the ball comes to him or her. Then by all means, go. And so the point is that you’re going to go out there to kind of meet that player when the ball shows up so that you can disrupt them maybe keep the ball rolling away or stop the ball, keep it on the ground and wait for help to come. Your defencemen should be right there. They should be. You know this should be just a little miss and that they are a couple of steps away from being in the play. So if you can get to the ball before the offensive player is going to get it then by all means go.

If The Player Is Behind Goal-Line-Extended You Can Be More Aggressive

[00:05:18] Now if the offensive player gets the ball and they are behind goal line extended, which means you take a line from pipe to pipe and you run it out to both sides of the field. If that offensive player is behind the goal line like towards the end line and you can go out there and play defense, temporarily, while your defenders come and you can create a double team of that offensive player while they’re behind the goal line and not an offensive threat, then that is something to consider as well. It’s why I encourage most lacrosse goalies you need to be athletic. You need to understand how to play defense. You need to understand how to funnel on offensive player to a defensive teammate so you can create pressure there.. I call this an “offensive” “defensive threat” right. You’re not just sitting back there waiting for things to happen. OK.

Tip #4: Practice These Situations In Slow Motion

[00:06:12] Tip number four if you. You’ve got to practice these. All right and the best way to do these in practice is to have…recommend your coach, get with a buddy, or a bunch of buddies, and use tennis balls so that you feel safe and you’re not taking a beating. But get in the cage and have somebody fake you, like fake high shoot low, fake right, fake left, work on the right pipe work on the left pipe. You know maybe start to mess around with you.

Practice Switching Hands (Yes…I Said It)

[00:06:41] I’m one of the first coaches, first lacrosse goalie coaches to really start to recommend switching hands. Like, if I’m a right handed goalie and I’m standing on my right pipe, while my stick is like kind of jammed, and if I commit to a fake across my body while it’s real it takes a lot of time for me to come back. All right if you watch my Top 10 tips videos are the best part to talk about “Surface Area” and explain this a little more. Right. But get basically , Tip #4 here is: Get in the cage in a situation where you can work on these things. Have an offensive player fake you but fake you slowly first. Fake you, work on, that’s what the stick looks like. You’re developing your shot library and your shooters library. All right that’s how you finally understand like what’s going on and why. You know , then you start to know, where the ball is going to go because you now start to understand these fakes.

Don’t Fall For The First Fake. Or The Second…

[00:07:45] Listen the game of Lacrosse has gotten faster and faster over the years and players, with offensive sticks, they can fake it fake and fake. Really, you should be able to follow the first fake, maybe the second fake, maybe the third fake. If you’re really athletic, but if an offensive player is standing in front of the crease all day and can fake you out of your shorts. That’s your team’s fault for letting that happen. So don’t get too down on yourself.

You Can Master What You Practice

[00:08:13] So Felix listen great question and I really appreciate you sending that in. Listen if you’re watching this and you got a question from me e-mail me. coachedwards@lacrossegoalietips.com before it. Be sure to check out LacrosseGoalieUniversity.com where we go into more detail on these sort of things. I look forward to hearing from you and leave me a comment below. Tell me a time when you’ve got faked out and by all means share this with a coach or player who needs to see this. Thanks for watching. I’ll see on our next video.

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Dear Coach Edwards
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